<snip>"It's a different tournament," [Roddick] said. "The court is quicker than any place I played last year. It helps my serve a little, but it can also work as an equalizer -- if someone gets hot on serve, it's tough to break through."

Tournament director Bill Rapp acknowledged it was a conscious effort to speed up the surface. Rapp, responding to player feedback, had the final coat of paint (and water) applied without any sand.

So the court now plays as much as 50 percent faster than it did in 2006, to hear the estimates of Rapp and several players.

"A lot of guys thought it was too slow," Rapp said. "It was frustrating for some of them. We kind of went to a medium-fast court, from a medium-slow court, because I thought a majority of guys would prefer that." <snip>